Safety-gate for bridges



Patented Nov. l, I898.

w. w. HEFFRON & F. T. RICE.

SAFETY GATE FOR BRIDGES.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE 8 THE uonms PETERS co. PHOTO-LIYHQ WASHINGTON. uv c.

W. W. HEFFBON &. F. T. RICE. SAFETY GATE FOR BRIDGES.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1898.) (No Model.)

Patente'd Nov. I, I898.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

HM fi4 I l I WITNESSES.

in: NORRIS PETERS co.. PHOTO-LITHO., wAsmNuwu. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

\VALLAOE W. HEFFRON AND FRANK T. RICE, OF TOWER CITY, NORTH DAKOTA.

SAFETY-GATE FOR BRIDGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,568, dated November 1, 1898.

Application filed April 1, 1898. Serial No. 676,079. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that we, WALLACE W. HEFF- RON and FRANK TA RICE, of Tower City, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Safety-Gate for Bridges, of which the follow ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, durable, and economic form of safetygate adapted to be used at the approaches of the swing or draw sections of bridges and also to provide a simple means for automatically opening and closing the gate when the swing or draw is correspondingly operated, whereby when the draw is opened the gates will be simultaneously raised and will form a barrier extending across the driveways and foot-paths and whereby when the draw is closed the gates will be closed down and will constitute a portion of the said driveways and foot-paths.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the span of the bridge which is next to the draw or swing section of the bridge, illustrating the application of our improvement thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the section of the bridge shown in Fig. 1 and through the improvement, the gate being in its upper or open position. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a portion of the span of'a bridge and a portion of the draw or swing,

illustrating the draw or swing closed and the gate closed also, constituting a portion of the driveway and foot-path, the attachment being likewise in vertical section; and Fig. etis an edge view of the draw or swing, illustrating the devices applied thereto adapted to cooperate with the mechanism carried by the bridge-span.

A represents a portion of the span of a bridge which is adjacent to an end of adraw or swing section D, (shown in Figs. 3 and 4,) and B represents the piers or uprights which support the bridge-span. A gate 11 is provided of sufficient length to extend from side to side of the bridge and is located adjacent to the end of the span against which the draw or swing section is to abut. An opening 10 is made in the flooring of sufficient dimensions to receive between its opposing side edges the gate 11, which gate when closed will fit neatlyin the recess 10 and constitute a portion of the driveway or foot-path, the upper face of the gate when closed being flush with the upper surface of the flooring of the bridge.

A shaft 12 is journaled in the side stringers of the bridge adjacent to the inner edge of the opening or recess 10, and jointed levers O are secured at one of their ends to the shaft 12, one at each side of the center of the shaft, the other ends of the levers being pivoted in any approved manner to the under face of the gate 11. Each of the jointed levers 0 comprises a section 13, which is attached to the gate, and a section 14, attached to the shaft, the two sections being connected by a rulejoint 15, the joint facing the approach of the bridge or the outer wall of the opening or recess 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A beveled gear 16 is secured to the shaft 12, preferably at its center, and the said shaft and its gear-wheel occupy such a position in the opening to be closed by the gate 11 as not to interfere in 'the slightest with the gate fitting snugly upon the stringers or string-pieces. The beveled gear 16 meshes with a beveled gear 17, and this latter gear is secured to a shaft 18, which extends out through the crossbar at the end of the bridge-span that faces the draw or swing, and at the outer end of the shaft 18 a pinion 19 is firmly secured.

In order to assist in the elevation of the gate 11, the said gate is counterbalanced. This is accomplished by attaching weights 20 to the ends of arms 21 and securing the said arms to the ends of the gate 11. The draw or swing section D is provided at its ends with two cog-racks 22 and 23, the teeth of the cograck 22 facing downward and the teeth of the cog-rack 23 being made to face upward. The

while the rack 23 is secured to the draw or swing at its left-hand side and extends some distance below the rack 22. A transverse as well as a vertical space is provided between the two racks 22 and 23 in order that when the swing or draw is closed the pinion 19 will occupy such space and will be idle.

In the operation of the device, the gate being closed, as shown in Fig. 3, when the draw is opened toward the left the upper rack 22 will engage with the pinion 19 and will turn said pinion, and the said pinion will communicate motion to the shaft 12, which will turn sufficiently to carry the two sections of the jointed levers O upward, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, bringing the gate 11 to a vertical position. When the gate has attained its vertical position, the rack 22 will have passed by the pinion 19. When the draw is closed, the rack will again engage with the pinion 19 and will turn the pinion in a reverse direction and cause the jointed levers to fall downward, as shown in Fig. 3, and the gate also to close downward to its position upon the floor of the bridge. When the draw is to be moved to the right, the rack 23 is brought into action.

It will be understood that the construction above described will be duplicated at each end of the draw and the inner end of each bridge-span between which the draw is located. When the arms 14 are entirely straight and the gate is perpendicular, it is firmly locked in such position by the action of the hinges 15.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An automatic safety gate for swingbridges, comprising a gate extending across the approach and hinged to swing down and form a part of the flooring, a shaft extending lengthwise of the bridge, a gear upon the shaft, a rack upon the swing adapted to engage the gear in opening and closing, and connections between the shaft and gate for swinging the latter, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the span of a bridge and its draw or swing section, and a counterbalanced gate pivoted on the span and capable of assuming avertical or a horizontal position, of a shaft journaled on the span below the gate, jointed levers connecting the said shaft with the under face of the gate, and a drive-shaft having a gear connection with the lever-carrying shaft, the said driveshaft being operated by the movement of the draw in opening and closing, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a safety device for bridges, the combination,witha bridge-span and its draw, and a gate pivoted upon the upper face of the bridge-span, and capable of assuming a Vertical orahorizontal position, the upper face of the gate being flush with the upper surface of the floor of the span when the gate is closed or in horizontal position, of a shaft journaled transversely in the span below the gate, jointed levers attached to the said shaft and to the gate, a second shaft j ournaled at right angles to the lever-shaft, one end whereof is in gear connection with the lever-shaft, the other end extending out at the inner end of the span, the said end being provided with a pinion, and toothed racks secured to the draw, one rack being below the other and the racks being at opposite side portions of the draw, a vertical and a transverse space intervening the said racks, one rack being adapted to engage with the upper portion of the said pinion and the other to engage with the lower portion thereof, as set forth.

4:. An automatic safety gate for swingbridges, comprising a gate extending across the approach and hinged to swing down and form part of the flooring, a shaft extending lengthwise of the bridge, a gear upon the shaft, a cross-shaft having rotative connection with the other shaft, an arm upon the cross-shaft, a link connecting the arm with the gate, and a rack upon the swing adapted to engage the gear upon the longitudinal shaft to rotate it by opening and closing of the swing, substantially as described.

VVALLAOE W. IIEFFRON. FRANK T. RICE.

Witnesses:

W. MCLENNAN, G. O. WARD. 

